Few things have resisted Javier Gómez Noya in his legendary career in triathlon, but his idyll with the Ironman has taken a little longer. Although it was only a matter of time before the Galician achieved his first victory in the distance . It was this Saturday, in Malaysia, a year after his first attempt in Hawaii, the place he already looks forward to by 2020.
Before that, he must face the Olympic Games in Tokyo , a test for which, now he will focus all his efforts. But to close the season, Gomez Noya wanted to take off the thorn with the Ironman and, incidentally, try to gain a place for next year's World Cup in Kona, the only one that was at stake in Malaysia.
In a season that has been a sway for the Spanish (just a few days ago he played a super sprint in Pontevedra, in the new ProTour test), combining the distances and mainly focused on the World Series in which he finished third , the climax came in Langkawi, a test marked by the harsh conditions of heat and humidity.
It was his third attempt at the Ironman distance (3.86 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42.2 km of running), after his second place in his debut at Cairns last year and 11th in the legendary of Hawaii. Noya, who came out on top of the water, cemented his triumph in the foot race. There he returned to the Swiss Philip Koutny, who had reached him towards kilometer 75 of the partial cyclist and had distanced him in 10 minutes.
Finally, Gomez Noya signed the victory with a time of eight hours, 19 minutes (2:54 in the marathon), obtaining the best mark in the 20 editions of the Ironman of Malaysia. Koutny was second to five minutes and Brazil's Tiago Vinhal, third to 12.
Winner a month ago in Cascais of the 70.3 World Cup , the strange season of Gomez Noya can boast of something within reach of very few: it has shone in all the distances in which it has competed, sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and, finally, removing the spine in the ironman.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more- sports
TRIATLÓNMario Mola wins the first triathlon ProTour, ahead of Serrat and Gómez Noya
ACB 2019 - 2020 The energy of Garuba and Real Madrid is a solo leader
More SportCarlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Nani Roma will compete in the Morocco Rally